Getting the Island Park You Deserve

Do the residents of Miami have the parks they deserve?

Given the low parks to people ratio, the answer is no.

One way to begin remedying this inequity is speaking up at the upcoming City of Miami planning meetings regarding the state-mandated Evaluation and Appraisal Report 2012.

City officials want to learn what major issues are facing neighborhoods, which clearly include the need for more and better parks.

“It may be worthwhile to create a city-wide parks committee,” said Steve Hagan, a long-time public parks advocate and activist with Miami Neighborhoods United, a civic group.

Hagan is calling on the City to increase the number of park acres - from the current 1.3 per thousand residents to 3.1 acres and adjusting impact fees for parks to accommodate the purchase of new park land and improve existing parks with trees, landscaping and playing fields.

These meetings are a great opportunity to speak up for Virginia Key.

Ask the City to get going on the biking and hiking trails that should interlace the island, the boat rental facilities where the general public can rent canoes and kayaks, the waterfront walkways with park benches and a host of other things that bring public uses back to the public lands.

The meetings start this week. For Virginia Key, in particular, make sure to attend the Oct. 25 meeting concerning needs in District 2 (Commissioner Marc Sarnoff), which is the district that includes Virginia Key.

Here’s the list of all the meetings throughout the City of Miami:
October 18
District 5 - Commissioner Richard P. Dunn II
Charles Hadley Park
1350 N.W. 50th Street
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Related Documents

October 19
District 3 - Commissioner Frank Carollo
José Marti Park
434 S.W. 3rd Avenue
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

October 21
District 4 - Commissioner Francis Suarez
Our Lady of Lebanon
2055 Coral Way
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

October 25
District 2 - Commissioner Marc D. Sarnoff
Miami City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

October 26
District 1 - Commissioner Willy Gort
Allapattah Community Action Center
2257 NW North River Drive
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.


Can’t attend or public hearings aren’t your thing? You can leave comments via the planning department's website.


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